ASRock launches affordable i5/i7 platform

ASRock, the affordable side of Asustek, has lunched a new P55-based motherboard dubbed the P55DE3. With this board ASRock aims at those craving a nice punch without splashing too much of their hard-earned cash on the i5/i7 platforms.

This P55-based board features 4+1 phase design and ASRock recommends Core i5 series CPUs. P55DE3 supports up to 16GB of "2400+(OC)" DDR3 memory. The board supports Intel's Turbo Boost and will come with Turbo Monitor, allowing for closer inspection of your "turboed" pet.

As usual, ASRock ships a slew of their tools and apps with this board, and the list includes: Instant Boot, Instant Flash, EZ OC, OC Tuner, IES, OC DNA and multi-speed fan control. The company even addressed the sometimes-annoying LEDs with their "Good Night LED" option in BIOS, which will when turned on extinguish the keyboard and power LEDs when the system is in hibernation/standby mode.

Another money-saving feature on this board is the possibility to instal LGA775 coolers through the provided mounting holes, which will surely save some cash to those who for instance already own an LGA775 cooler. ASRock calls this "technology" Combo Cooler Option, but we'd imagine that such a "technology" is pretty easy to develop with a keen eye and a drill of some kind. Still, a nice option indeed.

While we're sure that the board will be pretty affordable, the pricing is still unknown, but we'll keep an eye open for it. Until then you can check out the official product page here.